Daniels Run Park
Managed by Fairfax City Parks & Recreation
53 acres1.3 mi of trail
Rough Root Climb
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Fairfax
5% of Fairfax’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 8.4 miles of mapped trail cross Fairfax, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Daniels Run Park (1.3 mi), Providence Park (0.8 mi), Kutner Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #60 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
221 acres · of 6.2 sq mi of land
Trails
8.4 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
256 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.6 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 6.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Fairfax?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fairfax have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fairfax is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #60 of 253 in Virginia. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fairfax’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (256 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 77%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Daniels Run Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Providence Park
Managed by City Of Fairfax
16 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ranger Road Park
Park
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stafford East Park
Park
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ashby Pond Conservatory
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Daniels Run Park53 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Fairfax City Parks & Recreation
Providence Park16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City Of Fairfax
DirectionsKutner Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRanger Road Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Stafford Drive Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsStafford East Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAshby Pond Conservatory4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Thaiss Memorial Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fairfax, Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDale Lestina Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fairfax, Parks and Recreation
Van Dyck Park29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDraper Drive Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fairfax, Parks and Recreation
DirectionsOld Town Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShiloh Street Park7 acres · City of Fairfax, Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPat Rodio Park4 acres · City Of Fairfax
DirectionsGateway Regional Park2 acres
DirectionsVilla D'Este Park1 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairchester Woods Park1 acres
Westmore Park1 acres · City Of Fairfax
Who protects it
221 conserved acres
5% of Fairfax’s land. Who manages Fairfax’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County136 ac
Town or city83 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits10 ac
Not recorded75 ac
Local Park · 286 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 acConservation Easement · 5 acOther Easement · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draper Drive City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 49 | Open |
| Daniels Run Park Local Park | County | 46 | Open |
| Ec Van Dyke City Park Local Park | County | 44 | Open |
| Thaiss Memorial Local Park | County | 22 | Open |
| Dale Lestina Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Providence Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Unnamed Park - City of Fairfax Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Stafford West Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Kutner Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Green Acres Center Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Fairfax
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Fairfax
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Fairfax
Draper Drive PlaygroundIn Draper Drive Park
DirectionsGreen Acres Playground
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Fairfax
Green Acres Community GardenCity of Fairfax
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miUnpaved · 6.3 mi
Judicial Drive Trail0.5 mi
Rough Root Climb0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Tennis
14Baseball
8Pickleball
7Basketball
7Soccer
5Tracks
4Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ratcliffe-Logan-Allison HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itFairfax County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itCity of Fairfax Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itFairfax Public SchoolBuilding · listed 1992
About it29 DinerBuilding · listed 1992
About itBlenheimBuilding · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Fairfax: April and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fairfax →
Next door
Fairfax and its neighbors
Fairfax has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oakton18 miFairfax8.4 miGeorge Mason6.6 miLong Branch4.0 miFair Oaks3.1 miMantua2.2 miMerrifield0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax | 5% | 1.3 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| George Mason | 4% | 2.6 | 7 | 98% | A− |
| Oakton | 10% | 1.9 | 17 | 97% | A |
| Mantua | 12% | 0.9 | 22 | 75% | A− |
| Long Branch | 8% | 1.6 | 19 | 99% | A |
| Fair Oaks | 4% | 0.6 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Merrifield | 3% | 0.2 | 2 | 99% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fairfax
Where can I hike in Fairfax?
The longest trail networks: Daniels Run Park, 1.3 miles; Providence Park, 0.8 miles; Kutner Park, 0.5 miles; Ranger Road Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fairfax is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fairfax’s trails?
Daniels Run Park and Providence Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fairfax?
9.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 6.9 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fairfax?
31,019 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairfax or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 256 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fairfax have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #60 of 253 in Virginia. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fairfax neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →